Adjustable depth vane fish lure



Aug. 26, 1952 F. SHIPLEY ADJUSTABLE DEPTH VANE FISH LURE Filed Oct. 5, 1951 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I I f f 2. 1

ADJUSTABLE DEPTH VANE FISH LURE 1 Francis L. Shipley, Blanchard, Okla. v

Application October 3, 1951, Serial No. 249,509

This invention relates to fish lures of the plug type in which hooks depend from a solid body, and in particular a body having a generally horizontally disposed vane attached to the forward end with a pair of screw eyes, with a line attaching clevis extended upwardly from the trailing edge of the vane and with the vane retained in adjusted positions with a spring screw threaded through an eye mounted on the lower side of the body.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a fish lure in which the elevation of the lure in the water is adjustable-by a vane hinged to the forward end and resiliently held by a spring screw.

Various devices have been provided for adjusting the position of elevators or vanes on fishing plugs and lures, however,-it is difiicult to this invention contemplates a spring screw threaded through an eye mounted on the lower side of a fish lure with a generally horizontally disposed vane hinged to the forward end of the lure and retained in adjusted positions by the spring screw.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means in a fish lure for readily adjusting a horizontally disposed depth gauge or vane whereby resiliency is provided between the adjusting means and vane.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fish lure having a depth vane adjustably mounted thereon and having a clevis, or snap extended upwardly from the forward end of the lure for attaching the lure to a fishing line.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fish lure having an adjustable horizontally disposed vane on the forward end and an upwardly extended line attaching clevis also on the forward end, in which the lure is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a fishing lure in the form of a plug having tapering ends with fish hooks attached to the plug with screw eyes,

Claims. (01. 43-4222) Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from'the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a'side-elevatio'nal view showing the improved fish lure with parts broken away and shown in section. Y

Figure 2 is a plan view of the lure also with parts broken away. and shown in section.

Figure 3 is a detail looking upwardly toward the under surface of the forward end of the body of thelure showing the depth vane and the spring screw for adjusting the. position of the vane. f

Figure 4. is a side elevational view similar to that'shown' in Figure 1 showing theleading end of the lure and illustrating the parts with the depth vane extending downwardly.

Figure 5 is .a detail showing the 'upperend of the spring screw with the spring screw positioned in a mounting eye and with partsbroken away and shown in section.

Figure 6 is a detail illustrating the spring screw mounting eye' fo r attaching the spring screw to the underside ofthe'body of the lure. Figure 7is a'detail showing a. plan view of a trailing edge of the-vane illustrating the positions of. the openings through the vane.

Referring now to the drawingwherin like reference characters denote corresponding parts the improved fish lure of this invention includes a streamlined substantially bulbular body II) in which the leading end tapers to a cylindrical section II and the trailing end to a conical section or point I2, a generally horizontally disposed vane I3 secured to the body by screw eyes l4 and I5, 9. spring screw l6 threaded through an eye I! of a bar 18 and a line attaching clevis I9 which is mounted on the trailing edge of the vane I3 with a spring clip 20 which extends through openings 2i and 22 in the vane.

The lower side of the body In is provided with screw eyes 23 and 24 from which hooks 25 and 26 respectively, depend and, as shown in Figure 1 the screw eye 23 extends through an eye 21 of the bar [8 on the opposite end of which the eye I! is positioned, the screw eye 23 providing means for mounting the bar I8 on the body of the lure. The screw eyes 23 and 24 are provided with washers 28 and 29, respectively which form tensioning means for securing the screw eyes in position in the lure.

The screw eyes I4 and I5 extend through openings 30 and 3|, respectively in the trailing edge of the vane I3 thereby providing means for hinging the vane to the body of the lure.

The upper end of the spring screw 3 is provided with an extended section 32 to prevent the spring screw dropping through the eye I! in adjusting the position thereof and with the upper end of the spring screw engaging the lower surface of the vane I3 the position of the vane is readily adjustable from an upwardly extended position as shown in Figure 1 to a downwardly disposed position as shown in Figure 4 and to intermediate positions.

The position of the vane I3 determines-the depth to which the lure travels through the water as it is drawn by fishing line 33 attached to the clevis I9 and with the adjusting meansprovided in this manner the elevation of the lure or depth thereof in the Water is'acc'urately determined. I V

The movement of the diving'or depth vane in the two attaching screw eyes and a1so .the move-' ment in compressing thespring screw with variations in speed of the lure through the g water adds to the actiongof thelure. The comparativelyhigh' point of attachment ofthei fishin line permits thewater pressure to holdathe vane against the spring screw.

The eye I! at the end of the bar? [Sis formed in aspiral to correspond with the coils of the spring screw whereby the spring screwyis -frictionaljly held and remains "in pos-itionint-he :eye until-manually actuated.

The spring screw, Which ;;ext ends downwardly from the eye I! ispositioned ahead of the hook so that it provides protecting means toyprevent :snagging of thelure on roots; weeds, rocks'and the like thereby making fishing. 'possibleri-n water containing weeds, :brush, rocks and the'like.

It will be .understood -that?*modificationsmay be made in the design: and "arrangement of the parts without departing from-:the'ispirit ofi' the invention.

What is claimed is: I 1. A fishing -lure comprising an elongated body, hooks depending-fromsaid body,a pair of screw eyes positioned in a horizontakplaneextended from the forward end of the body, a generally horizontallydisposedvane mounted by' said pair of screw eyes -on'- the body; an eye extended forwardly from the-under surface of-the"-body,

section and with the trailing end tapering to a point.

4."In a fish lure, the combination which comprises a plug-"having a body regular in cross sec- .tion and having an enlarged center section with tapering ends, screw eyes threaded into the under -surface of the body and having fish hooks depending therefrom, a pair of screw eyes threaded into the forward endof the body'and positioned in a horizontal plane, fa. vane having openings in the trailing-edge mounted on said pair of screw eyes with the "eyes extended through openings in the trailingedge, ,a line attaching clevis freely mounted in'and extended upwardly from the trailing edge of #thevane, a bar having eyes on the ends extended from the under surface of the bodywith the eye in one end secured in position by one-of-the hookmounting screweyes, and a spring-screw'threaded through the eye :on the opposite end of the bar-whichis extended from the under surface of the body and positioned to engage the under surface of the vane.

5. A fishing lure-as described in claimewherein the eye on the extended end 'of-the barpositioned on the under surface of the body is invthe No references cited. 

